Apparatus for dispensing powdered material



Y 3, 1956 R. w. PHILLEPS 3,

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING POWDERED MATERIAL Filed April 1, 1954 limited States Patent APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING POWDERED MATERIAL Rodney W. Phillips, Aurora, lll., assignor to dtoner Mfg. Corp, Aurora, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April 1, 1954, Serial No. 420,316

6 Claims. (Cl. 222227) The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for dispensing powdered material and is particularly concerned with novel dispensing means and novel means for agitating the material to be dispensed.

The invention is specifically concerned with a novel power-operated structure actuable to dispense measured quantities of dry, finely divided or powdered material from a container and to novel means for agitating sa1d material within the container. Dispensing of pre-determined quantities of powdered material such as, for eXample, instant coffee, powdered cream, cocoa and sirmlar substances, requires unusual means to insure that the material within the container does not pack down to such an extent that it will not feed into the dispensing means. Such dispensing containers are especially useful, for example, in automatic coffee mixing and vending machines, which use requires that the vending and actuating means he simply constructed and readily dismantled for purposes of cleaning. it is obvious that it is neither desirable nor practical to provide constantly driven agitator means because such means may result in packing of the material in the area surrounding the agitator. Also, it is undesirable to provide means of a kind that is difiicult to remove or to install, or that may jam in use.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a novelly constructed container for powdered material with novel vending and novel agitating means therein.

Another object is to provide a rugged novelly constructed agitator and drive therefor.

Another object is to provide, in a novel powdered material vending apparatus including screw feed vending mechanism, novel means readily disassociated therefrom for agitating the material each time the vending mechanism is operated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, 1 have illustrated in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical central sectional view through the lower portion of a container having the feeding and agitating means of the present invention embodied therein.

2,753,089 Patented July 3, 1956 Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevationnl view of the container, taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a modified form of agitator.

Powdered material dispensers of the character disclosed in this application include a container 11, substantially rectangular in horizontal section, fabricated from sheet metal stock. The container 11 includes parallel side walls 12, opposed end walls 13 and 14 and a bottom wall 15. One of the end walls, in this instance the wall M, is provided with a vending opening 16, closely adjacent to the bottom wall 15. The vending opening 16 is located substantially midway between the side walls 12. A tubular vending spout, generally indicated at E7, is telescoped into the vending opening 16. Upon referring to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be observed that the vending spout 17 includes a tubular portion 18 which projects into the interior of the container 11 and a frusto-conical discharge portion 19 projecting outwardly of the end wall 14. The tubular spout may be detachably secured in place within the wall opening 16 by providing the same with an external flange 211 suitably apertured to receive mounting screws 22 secured firmly on the end wall 14. Thumb nuts 23 are threaded onto the projecting ends of the screws 22 to retain the flange 21 in tight abutment against the end wall 14.

A feed screw or auger Z4 is mounted adjacent the lower end or the container 11 with its axis disposed horizontally in axial alignment with the tubular spout 17. One end of the auger, which constitutes the delivery end, is telescoped within and journaled in the sleeve 1b, as is best shown in Fig. l. The auger 24 carries on its said end a scraper 25 which projects through the discharge end of the spout 17. When the auger Z4 is rotated, in a man-- ner to be described presently, the scraper coacts with the discharge edge of the spout 17 so as to wipe any accumulation of powdered material therefrom. This prevents caking of the powdered material at the discharge end of the spout l7 and insures vending of a predetermined measured quantity of powdered material each time the auger 24 is actuated.

The other end of the auger 24 is tapped. to receive a threaded stud 2t? constituting an integral part of a clutch element 27 disposed outside of the other end wall 13. It should be quite obvious that the auger 24 may be removed and installed easily for cleaning or otherwise by the simple expedient of unscrewing the clutch element stud 26 from the auger. The tubular spout 17 may then be removed after removal of the thumb nuts 23, whereupon the auger may be withdrawn axially through the opening 16.

In the structure disclosed, the auger 24 is adapted to be rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3, through one or more revolutions to cause the required amount of powdered material to be dispensed through the spout 17. Operation of the auger is best accomplished by providing suitable actuating means such as, for example, a motor 23 having a clutch element 29 on its shaft to cooperate with the auger clutch element 27. Of course, the connection between the motor 28 and the auger 24 may be established in any other practical manner; it being desired, however, that a detachable connection be employed so as to facilitate dismantling and assembling of the vending mechanism.

A powdered material such as, for example, instant coffee, powdered cream, cocoa and the like, tends to pack tightly within its container. Such packing will defeat the purpose of the dispensing apparatus inasmuch as the auger 24 would very likely operate in a void or operate to deliver but a portion of the quantity intended to be delivered during each operating cycle of the auger. In order to prevent such packing and at the same time to avoid excessive agitation of the powdered material within the container 11, novel agitating means is associated with and driven by the auger 24. For reasons of sanitation, it is expedient to provide such agitating means in a form to permit its being removed and inserted into the container 11 with a minimum effort. In the present disclosure, two forms of agitators are disclosed.

Referring to the disclosures in Figures 1 and 2, the agitator 31 therein illustrated is in the form of a cylindrical cage-like structure having its cylindrical wall formed entirely of continuous loops of a length of relatively heavy wire stock. This agitator is formed by bending the wire stock in one direction and then in the opposite direction to provide a series of uniform loops 32. These loops are characterized by having substantially parallel intermediate portions or bars 33 spaced uniformly about the circumference of the cage-like structure and connecting curved portions 34. The spacing between the parallel intermediate bars is such as to coincide with the spacing of the helix of the auger 24 with which the agitator is assembled, whereby said bars will be engaged successively by the helix for rotation of the agitator. The curved portions 34 of the loops are bowed outwardly radially slightly out of the plane of the circumference of the agitator so that, when the agitator is rotated in a manner to be described presently, the outwardly bowed portions will not travel in the plane of the circumference but will reach out and engage powdered material in the area immediately beyond said circumference to increase the effectiveness of the agitator.

The agitator 31 has a diameter slightly less than the width of the container 11 and a width slightly less than the depth of the container so as to be readily inserted therein and retained in a substantially vertical plane by the container walls. When so positioned, at least two of the parallel intermediate bar portions 33 of the loops will rest upon or substantially upon the small diameter 35 of the auger 24 as is perhaps best illustrated in Figure 1. When the two parallel bar portions 33 are so positioned they lie between adjacent convolutions of the helix 36 of the auger 24 and, when the anger is rotated to deliver powdered material for discharge through the spout 17, the engaged bar portions 33 are carried towards the spout 18. This imparts a slow rolling action to the agitator and when :the leading bar portion 33 of the agitator leaves the space between adjacent convolutions of the helix 36 another one of said bar portions 33 enters into engagement with the auger. Thus rotation is continuous so long as the anger is operating.

In Figure 4 a modified form of agitator has been illustrated. As there shown, the agitator, generally indicated at 37, is of the same general size and shape as the agitator 31. This agitator is, however, fabricated from a pair of spaced apart rings 38 which constitute the end walls of the agitator. These rings are bridged by a plurality of circnmferentially spaced tie rods 39 which correspond to the bar portions 33 of the agitator 31 and are adapted to coact with the auger 24 in the same manner as the agitator 31 coaots with said auger.

l t should be quite apparent at this time that the agitator may be fabricated in any one of a plurality of ways, the two agitators illustrated being exemplary of preferred structures.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it shouldalso be manifest that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A dispenser for powdered material comprising a material container having a vending opening, an anger in said container, actuating means for rotating said auger to discharge said material through said opening, and rotatable agitator means mounted loosely in said container and freely vertically movable therein and unconnected thereto, said agitator means resting upon said auger under the influence of gravity and in driving engagement therewith and supported thereby and being freely movable in an upward direction therefrom.

2. A dispenser for powdered material comprising a material container having a vending opening in one of its side walls, an auger mounted in said container and having a helix and terminating at one end adjacent said opening, actuating means to rotate said auger about an axis to discharge powdered material through the opening, an agitator mounted loosely in said container, said agitator being substantially cylindrical and having its axis of rotation disposed at right angles to the auger axis, and means on the agitator engageable with the helix of the auger to cause rotation of the agitator when the anger is rotated, said agitator being freely vertically movable and unconnected with respect to the container, said agitator resting upon said auger under the influence of gravity and supported thereby and being freely movable in an upward direction therefrom.

3. In apowdered material dispenser including a material container having an opening, a tubular spout mounted in said opening, said spout including a cylindrical portion extending into the container and a frusto-conical pontion projecting outside of said container, a feed screw having one end journaled in said cylindrical portion of the tubular spout and a scraper on the said feed screw and engaging the inside face of the frusto-conical portion.

4. A dispenser for powdered material comprising a material container having approximately upstanding walls, an anger rotatably mounted within the container and extending substantially across a lower portion of the interior thereof, one of said container walls having a discharge opening. therein, said auger having one end adjacent said discharge opening and having a helical blade for propelling powdered material toward and through said discharge opening in response to rotation of the auger, and an agitator mounted loosely in said container and freely vertically movable therein and unconnected thereto, said agitator resting upon said auger under the influence of gravity and supported thereby and being freely movable in an upward direction therefrom, said agi tat'or having a plurality of elements extending transversely of the axis of rotation of the auger and engageable with said helical blade whereby the agitator will. be rotated about an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of the anger in response to rotation of the latter, said agitator being slidably engageable with and guided by the walls of the container.

5. A dispenser as recited in claim 4 wherein said container walls include a pair of spaced parallel side walls and a pair of spaced parallel end walls joined to said side walls whereby said container is of rectangular shape in horizontal cross-section, said discharge opening being located in one of said end walls, said auger having oppo-- site ends rdtatably mounted to said end walls, the outer contour of said agitator being substantially cylindrical with an axis extending above and transversely of the axis of the anger, the diameter of said cylindrical agitator being slightly less than the distance between the interior surfaces of said end walls, the axial width of said agitator being slightly less than the distance between the interior surfaces of said side walls.

6. A dispenser as recited in claim 5 comprising a tubular spout member mounted in said discharge opening, said spou t member having a vertical flange fixedly secured to said end wall having the discharge opening, said spout member further having a cylindrical portion extending References Cited in the file of this patent inwardly of the container coaxially With respect to said UNITED STATES PATENTS d1scharge opening and a frusto-conrcal por-tlon pro ecting outwardly of said last-recited end Wall, said auger 576,934 Ahrenbeck 9,1897 being rotatably mounted within said spout member cylin- 5 999,295 Blue 1, 1911 drical portion, and a scraper blade secured do said auger 3 Benzon y 21, 1929 and engaging the interior surface of said frusto-conical 1,991,742 Grew 19, 19-35 P FOREIGN PATENTS 280,466 Germany Dec. 25, 1913 

